The M1 cyclist

[Sittingduck]

This happened to us in France, on the day we rode from Andorra to Toulouse. One minute we were making good progress up the main road the next thing we were getting toots from drivers then the Gendarmes pulled us over as we were trying to get off at next slip road.

Sometimes difficult to tell whats an A road and what's a motorway, when riding in a foreign land!

 

[sidevalve]

Why? It's probably safer than bits of the A38 that are legal to ride.

A motorway is just that and I suspect you have little or no idea of the danger involved in being on the hard shoulder. I worked for many years on the motorways and the most dangerous part of the job was being parked on the hard shoulder. Even in fully marked cars with flashing beacons etc the chances of being killed were still ridiculously high and we all knew it. Emergency vehicles use it to get to incidents lorries / and cars can in an emergency suddenly turn onto it and no they wont be looking for a law breaking cyclist. I have lost three workmates killed on the sides of motorways and one of them was crushed against the side of his vehicle. It needed two tarps to cover the soggy remains. Fortunately I was lucky enough not to see this - his friend working beside him did, he has never recovered. Bicycles are banned from motorways for a reason - it keeps you alive.

 

[subaqua]

A motorway is just that and I suspect you have little or no idea of the danger involved in being on the hard shoulder. I worked for many years on the motorways and the most dangerous part of the job was being parked on the hard shoulder. Even in fully marked cars with flashing beacons etc the chances of being killed were still ridiculously high and we all knew it. Emergency vehicles use it to get to incidents lorries / and cars can in an emergency suddenly turn onto it and no they wont be looking for a law breaking cyclist. I have lost three workmates killed on the sides of motorways and one of them was crushed against the side of his vehicle. It needed two tarps to cover the soggy remains. Fortunately I was lucky enough not to see this - his friend working beside him did, he has never recovered. Bicycles are banned from motorways for a reason - it keeps you alive.

this.

when you first start you moan about the trousers and the long arm vests . after about an hour you want something more than a vest and trousers to make sure you don't get hurt. I hated doing lighting in the central reserve , even with a closure and a 50 limit.

 

[mjr]

A motorway is just that and I suspect you have little or no idea of the danger involved in being on the hard shoulder.

I've not seen it like you have, but I've some idea... but is it much more dangerous than the narrower shoulder bike lanes of rural dual-carriageways?

Bicycles are banned from motorways for a reason - it keeps you alive.

Dare I suggest another reason: it's cheaper and easier than providing alternative cycleways that most people would choose to use. Instead, governments can get away with things like the frequently-vanishing unprotected narrow paint lanes of NCR55 Eccles New Road...

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Bicycles are banned from motorways for a reason - it keeps you alive.

Yet token cycle lanes are painted on dual carriageways like this:

Given the choice I'd rather be here:

(First photo taken from https://beyondthekerb.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/cut-the-crap/, an article which highlights wonderfully the problems caused by poor cycling infrastructure and mixed messages.)

GC